My last Christmas as an only child -by Julian Urtz

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It was filled with Hotwheels, Thomas the train, Lego's, and board games. This was an all-boy Christmas! 

The little sleepy head had to be reminded that Santa came.

This is his first glance at the tree with wrapped presents underneath. He's plotting his first move.

A little help from dad.

He loves cats...

Oh yes, he does!

Don't forget your stocking!

After all the unwrapping and playing, we went to eat at the only diner open in midtown on holidays. It has become a tradition for us to go there. While they serve basic diner food, the staff is not unlike that at the restaurant in A Christmas Story, "Fah rah rah rah rah, rah rah rah rah."

After all the food and fun, it was time to clean up for grandma's house!

I think he had a good Christmas. Don't mind our sad, dying tree!

Thanks grandma and grandpa for the lego's and hotwheels!

And thanks grandma and grandpa for the new digital camera, without it, this post wouldn't have been possible!

She flipped!

I had an ultrasound yesterday and was surprised to find out that Baby 'B' has indeed turned and is now vertex, or head-down. Just when I was starting to get used to the idea of a c-section...if their time in the womb is any indication, these girls will be throwing me for a loop their whole lives! 

It feels like a full-time boxing match is going on inside my belly these days. My mom thinks one is bound to come out with a black eye. 

Gingerbread...Train???

Last night I surprised Julian with a Gingerbread Train kit I bought at Target. My hopes weren't very high as I have purchased kits in the past, only to be disappointed by how lame they were. This one exceeded my expectations! Not only were there TWO bags of ready to use icing, the directions were easy, the candy was good, and Julian loved every minute of it. Once it was done he kept asking if he could put cargo (toys) in the caboose. He also wants to carry it with him around the house. Christmas just keeps getting better every year! 

Tonight we went to Home Depot and got a really decent tree, for a really decent price. Cutting one down just wasn't in the cards for us this year. We brought it home, put on Christmas music and decorated it. Once again, Julian loved every minute of it, from helping me unwrap each and every ornament, to having daddy lift him up to put on the tree-topper. We turned off all the lights in the house and laid on the ground as a family, looking at the tree for a good hour. Why can't all seasons bring such joy?

Privacy

Hey family and friends,

Please send your blogger email address to: beattygirl@hotmail.com OR just leave a comment on this post with the email you use for blogger so I can add you to the list of approved readers. 

I probably should have gone private months ago, before putting my whole medical history online, but you know what they say about hindsight...

Another day, another ultrasound...

I had another ultrasound yesterday. The perinatologist measured them and checked their positions. Baby B, or 'baby breach' as she will now be known, is still butt-down. He told me that there is still time for her to move, so I shouldn't be resigned to the c-section just yet. 

He also told me that Baby A is approximately 2 pounds 6 ounces, and Baby B is 2 pounds 14 ounces. This means they are now less than a week behind what a singleton baby would measure at this age. My last appointment had them at a little over a week behind singletons, so this was good news!

Overall, it was a good report and made me feel like the pain of it all is paying off.

 

In other milestone news: I have finally gotten back the 20 pounds I lost in the beginning of the pregnancy. Whoo hoo.

Sharp Shooter!

I took Julian to Wal-mart the other day and we stopped by the little arcade as a bargain that he would behave and 'stay with me' for the rest of the shopping trip. He refuses to sit in the cart anymore, which may be a blessing when I have to figure out how to squeeze two baby seats in the cart in a matter of months.

His favorite game is a hunting game, which on this day I only inserted .50 cents into and we were trying to kill all sorts of wild game for at least 10 minutes. I swear the game was playing tricks on me. Usually it lasts about a minute, per .50 cents. I guess I got my money's worth.

Latest News...

I had a routine Dr's appointment yesterday. I met with Dr. Beatty! I met her once while I was pregnant with Julian. She's great, just like all the other doctor's in the practice. She was very patient and allowed Julian to sit on the table next to me while she gave me a quick ultrasound to check the heart rates of the girls. No relation to us, but same pronunciation and spelling, not very common! 

She gave me some insight about my delivery. I have another 'high-powered' ultrasound in 2 weeks. If baby 'A' is still breech at that point, they will schedule me for a c-section for the delivery on my due date. So now is the time I need everyone to think good thoughts and hope that baby 'A' will change her position in the next 2 weeks. She's kind of in a sideways/breech position. I really don't want a c-section! 

In other pregnancy related news, I bought a belly-band yesterday at the advice of Dr. Beatty. Man, what a difference it has made! My back feels fully supported and I'm already having fewer contractions. I should have listened to Mom Beatty weeks ago when she suggested buying one.

I know this picture is unrelated to the post, but I love it and had to put it up. 

Falling for Fall!

This is definitely one of my favorite times of year. While in the summer it is wonderful for keeping cool, this time of year is a nightmare if your house is surrounded by big, tall, old tree's. Ped has been raking the yard everyday, and every morning we wake up to a backyard FULL of leaves. Julian loves it, as you can tell he's making leaf angels! Our whole yard is covered like this daily...

Apple Hill?

It wasn't to be. Unfortunately for the Urtz family, we were one of only two (Beatty) families to make the 45 minute drive on Saturday. Since it was a Saturday in October, that drive was actually much longer and more painful than usual. At least we were able to warn the others that due to the overwhelming traffic, Apple Hill would be more like Apple Hell that day. So we were a little late getting back to Sacramento to meet up with the others, but it was well worth it because the day was beautiful and the company couldn't be better!

Thanks to Carrie for the pics.

My lovely lady bumps...

I know, I know, I shouldn't have quoted Fergie, but today it seems to be a fitting quote. I went in for an appointment and the doctor casually said, "Let's take a look at the babies instead of listen to their heartbeats." Yea! Almost immediately she was able to tell me that I am having TWO girls! (And with absolute certainty)

What an amazing relief. I don't know why it scared me so much not to know, but a huge weight feels like it has been lifted. I'm sure that weight will come back ten-fold at approximately the age of 14, but for now it's a wonderful feeling.

And for those of you who have asked, here are some pictures of my 23 week belly. Cross your fingers and pray that I make it another 13 weeks!

Getting back to life...

Things are starting to get back to normal around our house. Dishes and laundry are getting done on a regular basis again, and old routines are working their way back into our lives.

The best part is the quality time I'm able to spend with my little guy. We've been hitting up parks everyday and trying to spend as much time doing 'fun stuff' as possible. You don't realize how much you miss these small joys until they are taken away from you.

So happy to be back from the dead!

Sorry for the Hiatus...

I know it has been a long time since my last post. I have been reminded by my mom, almost daily, while she looks at all the family blogs. So here are the updates:

My sickness seems to finally be going away. The horrible feeling of vomiting 10 times in one day is hopefully a thing of the past. I think my doctor either finally got the treatment right (6 hour long infusions) or my body is finally adjusting to the 2 critters within! At my low point, I had lost 20 pounds. So far, I have gained about 10 of that back, hooray! 

I need to send an overdue Thank You out to my mom, dad and sisters (and even a couple of game-loving brothers and 2 patient dogs) for all the help these past few months. I couldn't have done it without all of you!

The other big news is I went in for my 20 week ultrasound. After an hour of prodding me (very hard at times) the doctor was only able to determine the sex of ONE of the babies. Talk about a buzzkill! I had been waiting for that day when I thought I could really start planning and shopping and get the full picture of what awaits us...but seeing as how this whole pregnancy has gone, I really shouldn't have been surprised! So for those of you who don't know yet, I found out I will be having at least one GIRL!

I think I was so disappointed about not knowing the sex of the other baby that I let it take over my excitement for finding out the sex of at least one. I realized this when I looked at Allison's blog entry entitled "Thank Heaven for little girls". I think that's when it really hit me and made me appreciate how different and great it will be to have another girl around the house. I've grown accustomed to boys taking over our home and now this will at least put one player on my team!

I have about 4 weeks to wait until my next ultrasound and I want everyone to cross their fingers that the other baby won't be covering their privates with their hand this time.

Quite the surprise!

I went in for my first ultrasound last week and was shocked to find out that I am pregnant with twins! Ped is ecstatic and thinks we are "so lucky!" I'm sure it will be the most challenging and rewarding experience of our lives, but my mind is still a little boggled by the idea! I am about 11 weeks along.

I was also diagnosed with Hyperemesis which, in a nutshell, is a severe form of morning sickness that lasts morning, noon, and night. It never goes away and neither solids nor liquids will stay down. They have had me on IV's everyday for over a week now on a medication they give chemo patients for their severe nausea. I lost nearly 15 pounds in just over 2 weeks, so they are trying to help me keep food down. Some days it seems to work, but the side effects are sometimes as bad as the nausea itself.

I'm sure when I start to feel better the idea of having two babies will really sink in and I can enjoy the rest of my pregnancy and start planning for a much larger family!

You were with me all the while...

Since my vacation photo's are currently on a laptop which is on a honeymoon in Hawaii, I'll share some news with those of you who don't already know: I'm pregnant!

I forget whose idea it was, but below are the reactions everyone had when they found out, it was pretty funny to watch it go down:

I'm not sure how far along I am yet, but hopefully I'll get a better idea next week. So far all I've been is sick, sick, sick. Everything makes me want to puke: the smell of food, the sight of food, pictures of Amy Winehouse, brushing my teeth, you name it. I can't wait for that 2nd trimester to hit.

We did have a great vacation, although at the time I didn't understand why I didn't feel great! We got tons of pictures which I will post as soon as said honeymoon is over :)

Kitchen Curtains

I finally got them hung! For those of you who watched me sew these all day at mom's house a couple weeks ago, here is the final product. They look cuter than my cell phone camera captures, but you can get the basic idea:

This morning when Julian woke up, he asked me what the thing on the side of my wrist is. I told him it's called a 'birthmark'. He thought for a second and then said, "Oh, a Birthday Party mark."

Boxer Briefs!

Julian has been doing such a good job with this potty training thing. A few months ago I was really pushing it at home and while he did well, I had to remind him quite a bit and there was more than one accident on our computer chair (and I'm not talking numero uno).

Just the past week or two he has made a major turnaround. I don't know why I stopped forcing the issue, but he's taken complete control of the situation. He yells, "Mama, I go peepee" as he runs to the bathroom and takes care of business. He's even been doing it for number 2's. He'll come out of the bathroom and say, "I go peepee and poopoo, EWWW STINKY!"

We bought him some Thomas undies awhile ago and he didn't want anything to do with them. Well, that's not entirely true, he liked looking at them! Maybe it freaked him out to have his favorite character being pooped on.
Now he's been wearing his big boy undies, I admit they're a little metro, something Peter would probably wear.


My favorite is when we're in the middle of a store and he announces he needs to go poopoo.

Love at First Bite

A couple weeks ago Julian picked a small package of Oreo's for his treat in the checkout line at Target. I didn't realize until we got home that it was the first time this almost 3 year old has had an Oreo! What kind of mother am I?

The more I thought about it, I began to realize that buying a whole package of Oreo's in my house would translate into ME eating the entire package myself since Ped doesn't indulge in such goodness (hence, the non-Oreo situation in our household.)

This boy can't get enough! It's like he's making up for lost time. Turns out there's a little of me in him after all. Needless to say Oreo's will never be off my shopping list again. And I have a feeling a dentist visit isn't too far off in our future!

Windy Park Day!

Okay, so I know everyone is just dying to see pictures of our day with Thomas (I kid) but I'm waiting on film to be developed.

In the meantime, here are some pics I shot today at the park.

If the wind hadn't been howling, you would have heard crickets because NOBODY was at the playground today and that's a rarity for this place.

I blame this monster in the center of the playground, coupled with Sacramento's unpopular history of tree's falling down on windy days. 

We still managed to have a little fun, but this was probably the first time Julian has asked me to take him home from the park. Normally there's some major negotiations with the promise of something sweet waiting for him at the house.

Oh, and on a slightly creepy note, I found this ebay model yesterday:

like whoa.

U.S. Open

The tickets have arrived! I thought they were going to be lost in the mail from our move, but the package made it safe and sound.

For those of you who don't know, we will be attending The U.S. Open at Torrey Pines (San Diego) in the beginning of June.

We are SO excited, as this will be a great opportunity to see the greatest golfer of all time play. He's out due to an injury right now, but there's no way he'd miss this!

I think I'm most excited about Julian seeing some of the 'greats' at a young age. I'm really hoping for an Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus sighting, but Molly, I'll keep my eye open for Adam Scott!

Photo Booth

This will be boring to anyone who has a Mac, but Julian's favorite program on our computer is called Photo Booth. Below is a sample of the types of photo's he takes in his free time:

I won't lie, we like to get in on the fun too.